Dream Theater - Parasomnia - guest review
Dream Theater - Parasomnia - guest review
Tracklist
01. In The Arms Of Morpheus02. Night Terror
03. A Broken Man
04. Dead Asleep
05. Midnight Messiah
06. Are We Dreaming?
07. Bend The Clock
08. The Shadow Man Incident
Guest review by
Blackcrowe March 13, 2025
Dream Theater was driving the bus of prog metal in the ’90s, bringing attention to bands like Spock’s Beard, Fates Warning, Shadow Gallery, and Symphony X. I probably wouldn’t have discovered most of those bands without them; Dream Theater started a kind of prog revival, bringing to life classic bands that almost were on the oblivion at that time.
In my opinion there are different levels of Dream Theater records:
First Level:
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, Awake, Train Of Thought and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.
Second Level:
Images And Words, A Change Of Seasons (EP), Octavarium, and Black Clouds & Silver Linings.
Third Level:
Live albums and bootleg tributes to Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, and Metallica, I had a really good time listening to those.
And the rest...
Parasomnia, Dream Theater’s 16th album, finally captures that old magic they lost along the way, something they haven’t truly found since Black Clouds & Silver Linings. The band found the balance between technical skill and good compositions.
Let’s be honest, they needed Mike Portnoy’s personality back more than his obvious drumming abilities. Mike Mangini is an incredible drummer, but he always felt like he was trying to fill Portnoy’s shoes, and the band never seemed totally comfortable with him. I saw a few shows with Mangini, and while he was amazing, he was always trying to fit, which made his presence feel less essential.
With Parasomnia, Dream Theater sounds fresh again; sure, it’s not reinventing anything, but that spark is back. The songs feel stronger, the playing is tighter, and most importantly, you can hear that they’re enjoying themselves. It’s not just about showing off their skills; there’s a real energy here, and they sound better than they have in a long time.
Standout tracks like "The Shadow Man Incident", "Midnight Messiah", and "Dead Asleep" really grab my attention. "The Shadow Man Incident", a 21-minute epic with different textures, steps firmly between heavy metal and prog. "Midnight Messiah" is heavy, atmospheric, and packed with those shifts Dream Theater is known for, while "Dead Asleep" delivers some of John Petrucci’s best riffing. This is Dream Theater at their best, reminding us why they’ve remained a force in the prog metal scene.
The weakest song on the record is "Bend The Clock", which feels like a throwback to their last two or three albums.
The production on Parasomnia is outstanding, and the cover art might be one of Hugh Syme’s best designs. He’s known for his work with Rush, Megadeth, Dream Theater, and many others.
Parasomnia deserves a place in the first level under Awake or Train Of Thought. It’s a great record with very few lows. Jordan Rudess is less dominant here, or rather, better balanced with the rest of the band. Even Petrucci feels more like part of the unit rather than taking over. Portnoy is back, and you can tell from the very first fill: this is the start of a new era for Dream Theater.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 10 |
Written by Blackcrowe | March 13, 2025
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
6.7
6.7
|
Rating:
6.7 |
The prodigal son returned just in time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dream Theater with a ‘comeback’ album. When listening to Parasomnia, it almost sounds as if Mike Portnoy never left, but this arguably indicates that the group’s difficulties in recent years have had to do with more than just the man behind the drumkit. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments:
6
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Posts: 64530
This album is more back to the roots, but to be honest all When Dream And Day Unite and Images And Words sucks from this band, i always prefer Fates Warning, they wins for me.
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 5657 Written by Bad English on 13.03.2025 at 16:49 "They wins" what?!  What's wrong with those two albums?! Why do they suck? Or is it that you do not like them or maybe DT is not for you...
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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 Posts: 610 |
Posts: 610 Written by Bad English on 13.03.2025 at 16:49 Yes maybe but on the mainstream DT in terms of popularity, on the first row in the next row it is Fates Warning it doesn’t matter who’s better.
---- Invisible To telescopic eye, Infinity. The star that would not die. Slayer vs. Slayer: 1,000 MPH or Death
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Posts: 610 Written by John_Doe on 13.03.2025 at 17:17 Yes I’ve always found those not totally crap but definitely far from their best works
---- Invisible To telescopic eye, Infinity. The star that would not die. Slayer vs. Slayer: 1,000 MPH or Death
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Posts: 5657 Written by Blackcrowe on 13.03.2025 at 17:27 Images & Words was groundbreaking when it came out, no wonder it had a huge following, in the age of grunge and alternative music, influencing and expending the progressive genre.
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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Posts: 610 Written by John_Doe on 13.03.2025 at 17:31 Yes was very influential and groundbreaking when it come out but now I feel it weak and Awake with the time ages very well.
---- Invisible To telescopic eye, Infinity. The star that would not die. Slayer vs. Slayer: 1,000 MPH or Death
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